Hot spiced blood orange cocktail inspired by the Ecuadorian canelazo drink made with blood orange juice, cinnamon, spices, and rum or aguardiente sugar cane liquor.
½cupof brown sugar or 4 ounces of piloncillo/panelaadd more to taste
4cinnamon sticks
A few additional spices: clovesstar anise, all spice berries
A couple of orange peel strips
4cupsof blood orange juice
Aguardiente or rum to tasteuse regular or infuse with cinnamon ahead of time for an extra kick
Aguardiente or rum guidelines – adjust based on you preference (or the weather)
For a light canelazoadd 1 oz of aguardiente to each glass of canelazo.
For a medium-strong canelazoadd 1.5 oz of aguardiente to each glass of canelazo.
For a strong canelazoadd 2 oz of aguardiente to each glass of canelazo.
Instructions
Combine the water, brown sugar or panela (piloncillo), the cinnamon sticks, spices, and orange peel strips in a medium sized pot.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let the panela/piloncillo melt. Add the blood orange juice and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. To make the fast or cheater version you can boil it for 10-15 minutes.
Strain to remove the cinnamon sticks and spices.
Mix in the rum or aguardiente directly or individually in each serving glass, and serve warm. You can also make it ahead of time without the added alcohol and keep it refrigerated, then re-heat when ready to serve.
Notes
For a mocktail or kid friendly variation simply omit the rum/aguardiente.